Dr. Lacko currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill. In April 2024, Dr. Lacko joined the US Department of Agricuture (USDA) and serves as a Social Science Policy Analyst in the Child Nutrition Research and Analysis Division at the Office of Policy Support. Before USDA, she worked as a Research Scientist, at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a national anti-hunger non-profit, where she provided expertise to support FRAC’s advocacy to address the root causes of hunger and strengthen the federal nutrition programs. She led the research arm of several projects, including a $2 million cooperative agreement with USDA to improve equity in the Child Nutrition programs, and was part of the evaluation team on the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Grant.

Prior to FRAC, Dr. Lacko received her Ph.D. in Nutrition Epidemiology from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill, where she was a member of the Global Food Research Program, a Predoctoral Fellow at the Carolina Population Center, and a Royster Fellow. She has also served as a Community Economic Development facilitator with the Peace Corps (Costa Rica 2012-2014). She received her B.A. in Economics-Political Science from Columbia University. In her free time, she loves to try new food, cook, and find her rumba on the salsa floor.

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